Maliki’s office clarifies reasons behind releasing Daqduq

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The office of the Premier, Nouri al-Maliki, clarified the reasons behind releasing the Lebanese, Ali Musa Daqduq, on last Friday.

A statement by Maliki’s office received by IraqiNews.com cited “We have received Daqduq from the US forces as he was detained by them then was submitted to the Iraqi courts where he proved to be innocent,” noting that “The US lawyers did not present enough proofs against Daqduq to condemn him.”

“The US side presented more proofs and requested to resume the trial where also the proofs were not enough to condemn Daqduq,” the statement assured.

“After this, the US side brought an appeal for cassation Court that settled the case by confirming Daqduq to be innocent,” the statement continued.

“The US side asked to sue Daqduq in America but the Iraqi judicial sides rejected according to the Iraqi law,” the statement concluded.

It is worth mentioning that the suspected Hezbollah operative, Ali Mussa Daqduq, was freed by Iraqi authorities and flew to Lebanon on last Friday after an Iraqi court acquitted him of involvement in the killing of five US soldiers, his lawyer stressed.

“There was no reason for his detention. Last night the decision was made to release him. He is out now and arrived in Beirut two hours ago,” Daqduq’s lawyer said in a press statement.

Earlier this year, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta assured that he had received assurances from Iraq it would not release Daqduq, even though an Iraqi court had cleared him of the charges.

Daqduq was captured in March 2007 and initially said he was a deaf mute. US forces accused him of being a surrogate for Iran‘s elite Quds force operatives and say he joined the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah in 1983.